Op-ed - Hyperconnection : the resilience challenge

In 2020, global annual IP traffic should have reached 2.2 ZB and broadband speeds 47.7 Mbps. Mobile devices and Wi-Fi connections should account for at least 2/3 of total IP traffic, and the number devices connected to IP networks should be three times as high as the global population. This will only accelerate the spread and overlay of interconnected infrastructures, digital services and information systems. This in turns will further blur the lines between internal and external networks, which are already being replaced with continuous chains of interdependent mesh connections.

We are entering the « hyperconnection » era, the age of « the Internet of Everything », where people and machines are connected at all times and communicate continuously. This set-up as networks or networks of networks poses a real resilience challenge, in that it questions the capacity for systems to face the consequences of an attack or the failure on one link of the chain, and to resume business as normal. This new set-up also affects the organisation and governance of our societies. Hence the need to adjust behaviours, practices, and security technologies, but also legislative and regulatory frameworks, in order to take into account this new environment and its impacts on our way of life. In the age of hyperconnection, cyber resilience relies on a systemic approach to security that involves individuals, processes and techniques alike.

The 2018 Edition

The international cybersecurity forum is a platform aiming at promoting a pan-european vision of cybersecurity as well as to strengthen the fight against cybercrime. In order to do so, the FIC relies on :

The trade show, to share knowledge and ideas, recruit new employees and maintain contacts

The forum, to discuss and debate with experts, to gather ideas and to share professional lessons

The Observatory, to continue exchanging views and information after the FIC, to explore topics in greater depth and to consolidate our network of experts and like minded throughout the year

Objectives

• TO OPEN UP THE CYBERSECURITY DEBATE by bringing together digital transformation players, risk management specialists, security experts, architects, developers, lawyers… • TO SPEED-UP the development of a European Cybersecurity Market.• TO PROMOTE innovation in the service of digital trust • TO FOSTER a holistic approach of cybersecurity to support organizations in their digital transformation.• TO PROMOTE a combined « top down » and « bottom-up » up approach to cybersecurity• TO CREATE SYNERGIES between the different ecosystems by building bridges between the private and public sectors, between industry and the academia, and between roles and « trades ».